Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 331

Emperor Ian lay sprawled on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the endlessly burning fireplace. His pale skin was warmed by the firelight, and even his usually cool eyes seemed to soften.

It was the night he had returned with news of victory after his first battle. Outside, the sounds of celebration for Bariel’s victory echoed, but Ian’s office remained quiet.

“Your Majesty.”

Ian turned his head listlessly. Naum stood leaning against the door. The reports and a box in his arms suggested more work had arrived.

But strangely, his body wouldn’t move. He should get up and go to his desk, but he had no strength.

No, to be precise, he had no will. Under the authority of the Emperor and the pretext of war, Ian had killed people.

“Are you alright?”

“What wouldn’t be alright? Is that a report?”

Naum slowly approached Ian and knelt. As their eyes met, he saw the Emperor’s pupils flickering in the firelight.

Was it the fire, or was it the young Emperor’s guilt that made them flicker? Naum gently smoothed the Emperor’s hair that had fallen below the sofa, offering comfort.

“Your Majesty, you did wonderfully. All of Bariel is relieved and rejoicing. Isn’t it natural that there is a price to pay to get what you want?”

“…Yes. That’s why I did it. I told them to kill, to burn, to discard.”

The young boy Emperor still heard the screams of the enemies in his ears. The chaos of pushing forward through those begging for their lives, leaving his allies behind. Naum tilted his head sadly, trying to soothe him.

“Don’t worry. You’ll become numb to it.”

“Becoming numb is also frightening.”

“But if you don’t, Your Majesty will be hurt.”

Naum grabbed Ian’s right wrist. Inside the carelessly rolled-up sleeve was a long, thin cut. It wasn’t serious, but it couldn’t be ignored. Naum glared, and Ian smiled, making excuses.

“While the enemy leader’s head fell, I didn’t shed a single drop of blood. Isn’t that the pride of Bariel?”

“It’s pride, but it’s also a pain that gnaws at Your Majesty. Don’t become numb to these things. If it hurts, say it hurts; if it’s hard, say it’s hard. Let out all the things you’re keeping inside.”

From the box came ointment and bandages. Naum, who had been with him on the battlefield, seemed to know everything.

Ian let him treat the wound, still staring at the fireplace. It was no different from the flames that had burned on the battlefield.

“…The Emperor’s tears fill the world, and his sighs destroy it.”

“If Your Majesty collapses, the world will collapse. I am…”

He wanted to say that he was sorry that Ian had become Emperor at such a young age, and that was why he had tried to stop him back then.

The path of the Emperor was already lonely and difficult. How could someone without a single close friend bear that weight? He could, but it would eat away at his life.

“I am, Your Majesty, the Minister of Magic.”

“I know. And I am the Emperor.”

Naum was Ian’s only support, but he was also the Minister of Magic. It wasn’t a purely friendly relationship; political interests were bound to be involved.

How wonderful it would be if Ian had a pure friend without any ulterior motives. Naum disinfected Ian’s wound and said,

“If it’s hard to let go, just try to follow along. It will help just by doing that. ‘It hurts.'”

“That’s silly.”

“Try it. ‘It hurts,’ or ‘I’m uncomfortable.'”

“…Naum.”

“Or that’s good too. ‘It’s hard.'”

Ian rested his chin on his hand and smiled faintly. The crackling of the burning wood strangely made him feel at ease. Ian closed his eyes languidly and murmured. The way he was bandaging was clumsy.

“Naum. It hurts. Be gentle.”

* * *

Ian opened his eyes. The only thing he could see in his hazy mind was a ceiling with exotic patterns. He couldn’t think straight.

Just a moment ago, he had been talking to Naum, but where was he? Why did it smell so pungent? The moment he tried to move his hand, the muscles all over his body twisted and felt like they were tearing apart.

“Ah…!”

A groan escaped his lips involuntarily. The pain instantly brought him back to reality. Then, he saw the heads of children in his view.

One, two, three.

“He’s awake.”

“He woke up?”

“He’s awake!”

With orange hair and drooping eyes, they were clearly Noah’s siblings. The little ones leaned over the edge of Ian’s bed, chattering.

“It’s amazing. He lost so much blood, but he didn’t die.”

“He’s a mage. Of course.”

“Don’t mages die? Do they live forever?”

He wanted to say something, but he had no energy. As Ian was about to close his eyes in defeat, the children ran out of the room. They had been waiting for Ian to wake up, but they couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

“The Bariel Minister is awake!”

“He’s awake!”

“Mages, come quick!”

The children’s clear voices rang out. Then came the sounds of banging and thumping. People were running down the hallway in the distance.

Sure enough, the door burst open, and a crowd rushed in. Half were from the palace, and the other half were mages.

“Ian! Are you alright? Can you hear me? How are you feeling?”

“Goodness, can you hear me? How is your condition?”

“Step aside for a moment. I’ll give him a sedative. Now that he’s conscious, it will be hard to bear the pain. Hey!”

“Ian, do you recognize me? Please say something.”

“I don’t think a sedative is the best idea. We should add more magic. Is anyone available? Otrick?”

“I’ll do it. Everyone, help me.”

“Iannnn!”

Bang!

Berik, unable to control his speed, crashed into the door. He pushed through the crowd and rushed to the bed where Ian was lying. The doctors told him to move, but neither he nor the other mages would easily step aside.

“Ian, how’s your body?”

Berik whispered, leaning in. He looked more haggard than ever before. Not only him, but all the mages surrounding Ian looked the same. They had poured all their remaining magic into saving him.

He must look even worse than they did. Ian smiled faintly, about to say he was fine as a habit.

“Try it. ‘It hurts,’ or ‘I’m uncomfortable.'”

He stopped, remembering his conversation with Naum.

Ian looked at his colleagues, then sighed deeply. And then, very quietly, with a serious but light heart, he replied.

“…It hurts.”

“Yeah, it hurts, right? You lost a crazy amount of blood. What the hell did you do?”

“I’m sorry, everyone. The plan went wrong.”

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but if there hadn’t been a problem, they would have returned to Bariel long ago. The mages frowned as if telling him not to say unnecessary things.

“Don’t say that. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

“Was it that bad?”

“You soaked the reception room carpet and it even flowed outside. We were really…”

“Don’t bother Ian. Anyway, Ian, what happened? Do you know the cause?”

Clifford’s side kept insisting that it was unrelated to them, but they remained on edge until they heard it directly from Ian.

“Ah, right.”

Ian slowly raised his hand and touched his chest. The moment he tried to execute the contract magic, a pain like being torn apart by a hand had surged. It had spread and transferred to other organs.

Ian pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“It was a personal mistake.”

“What? You, Ian?”

The mages were quite surprised and hesitated at Ian’s answer. ‘That’ Ian, making a mistake in magic and ending up like this?

It was unbelievable. He had never shown an error in execution, not even in spelling. They all exchanged awkward glances.

‘It seems like Ian is having a hard time talking about it, right?’

‘Yeah. It’s impossible.’

‘Let’s move on for now.’

While they were whispering, Ian closed his eyes and recalled Melanie’s words. The oath that the illegitimate son Ian had made with Rutherford. So, the meaning of not being able to go against it was this.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected it at all. The illegitimate son Ian was very young at the time, and above all, he wasn’t skilled enough as a mage to perform contract magic. So, he hadn’t even considered the possibility…

‘It’s meticulous and suspicious.’

Contract magic can be made doubly with anyone. But the fact that it was impossible meant that the first contract of the illegitimate son Ian contained a clause prohibiting it.

The act of completely binding the illegitimate son Ian, including the manufacture of Idgal [a magical substance]. The only way was to quickly pursue Rutherford and resolve the question. What kind of oath was made, what did they bet on, and what did they promise?

“Ian.”

When Ian remained silent with a blank gaze, Berik called out worriedly. Behind him, Noah’s siblings were peeking their heads out from the door. Ian smiled and patted Berik’s head.

“I’ve come to my senses, so recovery is just a matter of time. By the way, how long have I been out? What about the message to Bariel?”

“It’s been over a week.”

Berik mumbled, lying on the bed. Considering the amount of bleeding, it was a miracle that he had woken up in a week, but Ian seemed surprised that so much time had passed.

“Over a week?”

“We sent a messenger bird the day after you collapsed. It’s about time for a reply, but nothing yet.”

The mages also nodded in agreement. Had the magic of the messenger bird caused a problem by crossing the border? It was time for a response from the Imperial Palace, but the silence was unsettling.

Knock knock.

Then, they heard a knock.

Turning around, they saw the King of Clifford and Prince Noah standing there. Unlike the doctors who bowed deeply, the mages simply nodded their heads in greeting.

“Sir Ian, it’s a relief that you’ve regained consciousness.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I believe you must have been surprised.”

“Indeed. It is said that the power of magic is like a double-edged sword, but I never thought I would see it with my own eyes. Haha. How are you feeling?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

As if they had been waiting for this moment, the children came running and clung to the king’s waist, looking at Ian. Noah sighed and looked around at the mages. They all had gentle natures, which gave him an idea of the palace’s atmosphere.

“Have you told him about it?”

“No. Not yet.”

Ian raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t understand what they were talking about, and Noah crossed his arms, as if telling him to understand.

“We tortured a man named Phillip.”

“…Excuse me?”

“We know what mages are, but the situation was so serious that Clifford needed to know the whole truth. It was done with the consent of the mages, so don’t hold us responsible. Of course, Phillip isn’t dead.”

At the mention of torture, the king gently pressed down on his young children’s ears. When Ian looked at the mages, they avoided his gaze and made excuses.

“Isn’t it all because of that bastard Phillip?”

“We had no choice since words didn’t work.”

“I’m sorry, Ian. But there was no contact from Bariel, and we…”

Ian sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Alright. I was gone, so it was your choice. I respect that. But first-”

Leaving the Phillip issue aside, the fact that there was no reply from Bariel was truly concerning. Shouldn’t there be some kind of response?

“What kind of magic stone did you use for the messenger bird to the Imperial Palace?”

“Why do you ask that?”

The reason why messenger birds can find their way over long distances without problems is thanks to magic stones. The one attached to the pigeon and the one at the destination react like magnets, attracting each other and guiding the bird along the way.

Since it was being sent from the palace to the Imperial Palace, there must be one they usually used. Ian pressed his temples and replied.

“There’s an abnormal magic reaction at the Clifford border. I was wondering if that might be causing a problem with the messenger bird.”

Everyone was speechless at the unexpected answer. The last message Ian had sent was from inside the border, from the Bariel territory.

Then, the Imperial Palace was now looking for Ian and the mages…

“Everyone must be in an uproar? Are soldiers coming?”

Berik sniffled and muttered.